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Order of Legends #1
The Principle of Moments
A century-spanning space fantasy novel that will take you on a whirlwind adventure, from a Regency Era love affair between a time-traveller and the prince waiting for him in the past, to a rescue mission in the 60th century, where a girl desperately races against time as she searches for the sister the emperor stole.
6066: In Emperor Thracin’s brave new galaxy, humans are not citizens. Instead, they are indentured labourers, working to repay the debt they unwittingly incurred when they settled on Gahraan - a desert planet already owned by the emperor himself. Asha Akindele knows she’s just another voiceless cog working the assembly lines that fuel his vast imperial war machine. Her only rebellion: studying stolen aeronautics manuals in the dead of night. But then a cloaked stranger arrives to deliver an impossible message, and her life changes in an instant.
1812: Obi Amadi is done with time-travelling. Never mind the fact he doesn’t know how to cure himself of the temporal sickness he caught whilst anchoring his soul to Regency London, the one that unmakes him further with every jump. Or if the prince he loves will ever love him back. Or why his father disappeared. He is done. Until he hears about the ghost of a girl in the British Museum. A girl from another time.
When Obi’s path tangles with Asha’s and a prophecy awakens in the cold darkness of space, they must voyage through the stars, racing against time, tyranny, and the legacy of three heroes from an ancient religion who may be awakening, reincarnated in ways beyond comprehension.
6066: In Emperor Thracin’s brave new galaxy, humans are not citizens. Instead, they are indentured labourers, working to repay the debt they unwittingly incurred when they settled on Gahraan - a desert planet already owned by the emperor himself. Asha Akindele knows she’s just another voiceless cog working the assembly lines that fuel his vast imperial war machine. Her only rebellion: studying stolen aeronautics manuals in the dead of night. But then a cloaked stranger arrives to deliver an impossible message, and her life changes in an instant.
1812: Obi Amadi is done with time-travelling. Never mind the fact he doesn’t know how to cure himself of the temporal sickness he caught whilst anchoring his soul to Regency London, the one that unmakes him further with every jump. Or if the prince he loves will ever love him back. Or why his father disappeared. He is done. Until he hears about the ghost of a girl in the British Museum. A girl from another time.
When Obi’s path tangles with Asha’s and a prophecy awakens in the cold darkness of space, they must voyage through the stars, racing against time, tyranny, and the legacy of three heroes from an ancient religion who may be awakening, reincarnated in ways beyond comprehension.
506 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2024
About the author
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
6 books469 followersEsmie Jikiemi-Pearson is a Sunday Times Bestselling author, and the inaugural winner of the Future World's Prize. Her forthcoming novel, Gutterwitch, sold to Penguin Random House after an intense eight way auction. In the UK, the book sold to Bloomsbury after a nine way auction.
Esmie's first novel was nominated for Best British and Irish Book at the Tik Tok Book Awards.
Esmie's first novel was nominated for Best British and Irish Book at the Tik Tok Book Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 452 reviews
August 17, 2023
Hi, I'm Esmie, and I'm the author of this book!
It's inspired by my deep love of the worlds created by Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin, and Rivers Solomon. It's a really fun adventure story, perfect for fans of Becky Chambers' found family in space, V. E. Schwab's re-imagined Londons, and the royal relationship angst of Red, White, and Royal Blue. It's also a love letter to Black girl nerds, and any nerds really, as well as to Doctor Who, my obsession with ancient/classical civilisations (I got on Aeneid quote in there guys), and Regency romances.
I grew up reading classic SFF, and always wanted a chance to have characters who looked like me, and felt as I did, walking through fantasy worlds, disrupting (but also celebrating) the aesthetics, cliches, and tropes that the genre was built on.
I think this quote from the opening pages about sums up what you're in for:
ENJOY!
p.s.
It is a fun, epic adventure, but does tackle some serious themes which I have outlined below.
Some content notes:
It's inspired by my deep love of the worlds created by Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin, and Rivers Solomon. It's a really fun adventure story, perfect for fans of Becky Chambers' found family in space, V. E. Schwab's re-imagined Londons, and the royal relationship angst of Red, White, and Royal Blue. It's also a love letter to Black girl nerds, and any nerds really, as well as to Doctor Who, my obsession with ancient/classical civilisations (I got on Aeneid quote in there guys), and Regency romances.
I grew up reading classic SFF, and always wanted a chance to have characters who looked like me, and felt as I did, walking through fantasy worlds, disrupting (but also celebrating) the aesthetics, cliches, and tropes that the genre was built on.
I think this quote from the opening pages about sums up what you're in for:
This is a story about a girl and her friends, and how hard times made heroes of them, whether they wanted to be or not. It is a story of loss, and adventure, of daring, and of courage burning bright in the bleakest of times. It is a story about love.
And this is how it ends.
ENJOY!
p.s.
It is a fun, epic adventure, but does tackle some serious themes which I have outlined below.
Some content notes:
February 11, 2025
this was a lot of fun and i highly recommend to fans of doctor who. it gave me everything i was looking for, it was similar to doctor who whilst also being unique. i enjoyed obi and asha as characters but for some reason i couldn’t connect to asha as much as i did with obi. i also liked obi and george’s romance more than asha and xavior, the forbidden trope for obi and george just worked so much for me. i think the writing was great and there never was a dull moment here. excited to see where the rest of the books go.
December 31, 2023
My complete review is published at Grimdark Magazine.
The Principle of Moments, the exuberant debut novel by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, is a time-traveling space opera and a homage to Regency-era romances.
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson fully embraces the Chosen One trope, using it to great effect in The Principle of Moments. The heroine of the story, Asha, is a fugitive engineer thousands of years in the future, long after humanity has destroyed Earth and colonized other planets. Asha is astonished to learn that she has a long-lost sister who has been captured by the emperor and imprisoned in an imperial jail. Asha’s quest to rescue her sister has dire consequences for the entire universe.
The second lead protagonist in The Principle of Moments is the time-traveling Obi, who was abandoned by his father at only eight years old. Obi’s story begins in 1812 in Regency-era London, centering on his relationship with Prince George, the fictitious son of Prince Regent (later King) George IV and grandson of King George III.
Prince George comes from a rather sorry line of monarchs. His grandfather, George III, is most noted for losing the American colonies, while his father, George IV, pursued a leisurely life of fiscal extravagance, without any true accomplishments to his name. Young Prince George finds himself lost, and unfortunately also shares his father’s addiction to laudanum. His greatest hope for meaning rests in his romance with Obi.
Kudos to Jikiemi-Pearson for making a queer, interracial relationship a focal point of the novel, especially one set in the early nineteenth century and across such a major class divide. I immediately connected with both Obi and George: their relationship is one of the highlights of the novel. There is also an element of suspense as the mysterious character named Alarick pursues Obi and the fragment of his soul that he left with George.
The Principle of Moments touches on a number of serious issues, including slavery, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse, but it doesn’t probe any of them in great depth. The tone of the book stays remarkably upbeat throughout, focusing on the fast-paced action and relationships among the various characters.
Although there are plenty of sci-fi elements to The Principle of Moments, this is primarily a relationship-driven novel. The relationships between Asha and Obi, Obi and George, and Asha and her sister are all wonderfully developed and kept me glued to the pages. While I immediately connected with Obi and George, the relationships involving Asha took a longer time to build. But the buildup is definitely worth it, as the story grows to an outstanding climax that leaves a big emotional impact on the reader.
I also enjoyed the epigraphs at the end (rather than the beginning) of each chapter. Many of these are quotes from the Archivist, a character who is more than meets the eye:
“Archivist’s Note: You must excuse my poetic license. Artistic liberty is something I am rarely afforded, and this tale begs to be transformed into scripture; everything about it is epic.”
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson’s writing can only be described as jubilant. This is an author who clearly had the time of her life writing this novel. Her genuine excitement for the story pops off every page. Overall, The Principle of Moments is an ecstatic debut.
The Principle of Moments, the exuberant debut novel by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, is a time-traveling space opera and a homage to Regency-era romances.
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson fully embraces the Chosen One trope, using it to great effect in The Principle of Moments. The heroine of the story, Asha, is a fugitive engineer thousands of years in the future, long after humanity has destroyed Earth and colonized other planets. Asha is astonished to learn that she has a long-lost sister who has been captured by the emperor and imprisoned in an imperial jail. Asha’s quest to rescue her sister has dire consequences for the entire universe.
The second lead protagonist in The Principle of Moments is the time-traveling Obi, who was abandoned by his father at only eight years old. Obi’s story begins in 1812 in Regency-era London, centering on his relationship with Prince George, the fictitious son of Prince Regent (later King) George IV and grandson of King George III.
Prince George comes from a rather sorry line of monarchs. His grandfather, George III, is most noted for losing the American colonies, while his father, George IV, pursued a leisurely life of fiscal extravagance, without any true accomplishments to his name. Young Prince George finds himself lost, and unfortunately also shares his father’s addiction to laudanum. His greatest hope for meaning rests in his romance with Obi.
Kudos to Jikiemi-Pearson for making a queer, interracial relationship a focal point of the novel, especially one set in the early nineteenth century and across such a major class divide. I immediately connected with both Obi and George: their relationship is one of the highlights of the novel. There is also an element of suspense as the mysterious character named Alarick pursues Obi and the fragment of his soul that he left with George.
The Principle of Moments touches on a number of serious issues, including slavery, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse, but it doesn’t probe any of them in great depth. The tone of the book stays remarkably upbeat throughout, focusing on the fast-paced action and relationships among the various characters.
Although there are plenty of sci-fi elements to The Principle of Moments, this is primarily a relationship-driven novel. The relationships between Asha and Obi, Obi and George, and Asha and her sister are all wonderfully developed and kept me glued to the pages. While I immediately connected with Obi and George, the relationships involving Asha took a longer time to build. But the buildup is definitely worth it, as the story grows to an outstanding climax that leaves a big emotional impact on the reader.
I also enjoyed the epigraphs at the end (rather than the beginning) of each chapter. Many of these are quotes from the Archivist, a character who is more than meets the eye:
“Archivist’s Note: You must excuse my poetic license. Artistic liberty is something I am rarely afforded, and this tale begs to be transformed into scripture; everything about it is epic.”
Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson’s writing can only be described as jubilant. This is an author who clearly had the time of her life writing this novel. Her genuine excitement for the story pops off every page. Overall, The Principle of Moments is an ecstatic debut.
January 19, 2024
I’m glad that my DNFing of a book I thought was terrible only thirty pages in led to me picking this book up much, much sooner than I would have otherwise, because I really enjoyed myself, despite some nitpicks I have with this, mostly to do with the author being a debut author, and an extremely young one. Overall, she feels like an author who could have some really, truly great books down the line.
This book, which the author started writing when she was in high school, is about three people whose fates are tied together through the ages. There is a prophecy, there is time travel, there are anti-monarchy gay English princes. Most of it takes place split between two timelines: the far future in 6066, and in Regency England 1812. And all of it centers people of color. The author, a self-identified Black nerd girl, wrote this book because it’s the kind of story she loves*, and she wanted to write a story with someone like her inside of it. The joy and imagination is just brimming from this thing, but at the same time that also works to its detriment. The structure and plot are a little overly complicated, and it definitely reads like a debut.
*She is clearly a massive Doctor Who fan.
I find myself feeling similarly towards this book as I did when The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon’s precocious debut, popped up on the scene. This is a person who can write, and will write some bangers in the future, but they do need some more time to mature before that can happen. I do like this book a lot better than I liked The Bone Season, though, for a couple reasons. First, this is a nerd in her element, having fun with her imagination, whereas Shannon went pretentious with it. She eventually learned to reign those instincts in, but nerdy joy is always going to win out over pretentiousness with me. Second, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson is writing not just about people of color in a market (sff) that doesn’t see many women even get a chance to succeed, but she’s also writing in science fiction and adventure, two genres that are white male-dominated. There were A LOT of special girl falls in love with dark brooding guy who should be an enemy books even back in 2013, and there just aren’t that many fun adventure books that play with romance and time and obscure physics concepts. It feels fresh.
Anyway, all that long-windedness to say that I think this is a book worth checking out, and I can’t wait to see what this author does in the future.
(the cover, however, is terrible; i personally don't like the look of it, but also, it makes the book seem like a middle grade story, a story for young readers, when really it's more of an all-ages story and is categorized as adult)
[3.5 stars, rounded up]
r/fantasy BINGO: Author of Color (Hard Mode)
This book, which the author started writing when she was in high school, is about three people whose fates are tied together through the ages. There is a prophecy, there is time travel, there are anti-monarchy gay English princes. Most of it takes place split between two timelines: the far future in 6066, and in Regency England 1812. And all of it centers people of color. The author, a self-identified Black nerd girl, wrote this book because it’s the kind of story she loves*, and she wanted to write a story with someone like her inside of it. The joy and imagination is just brimming from this thing, but at the same time that also works to its detriment. The structure and plot are a little overly complicated, and it definitely reads like a debut.
*She is clearly a massive Doctor Who fan.
I find myself feeling similarly towards this book as I did when The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon’s precocious debut, popped up on the scene. This is a person who can write, and will write some bangers in the future, but they do need some more time to mature before that can happen. I do like this book a lot better than I liked The Bone Season, though, for a couple reasons. First, this is a nerd in her element, having fun with her imagination, whereas Shannon went pretentious with it. She eventually learned to reign those instincts in, but nerdy joy is always going to win out over pretentiousness with me. Second, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson is writing not just about people of color in a market (sff) that doesn’t see many women even get a chance to succeed, but she’s also writing in science fiction and adventure, two genres that are white male-dominated. There were A LOT of special girl falls in love with dark brooding guy who should be an enemy books even back in 2013, and there just aren’t that many fun adventure books that play with romance and time and obscure physics concepts. It feels fresh.
Anyway, all that long-windedness to say that I think this is a book worth checking out, and I can’t wait to see what this author does in the future.
(the cover, however, is terrible; i personally don't like the look of it, but also, it makes the book seem like a middle grade story, a story for young readers, when really it's more of an all-ages story and is categorized as adult)
[3.5 stars, rounded up]
r/fantasy BINGO: Author of Color (Hard Mode)
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August 5, 2024Time travel space opera. Exuberant lively stuff but just too YA for me, especially in the historical sections; if you like YA/NA SFF, this is one to grab.
December 2, 2023
The Principle of Moments was a fun ride through space and time. There’s high stakes action, which is nail biting at times and I was fully invested. The characters felt real and whole. Amongst the chaos of the cosmos there are tender and intimate moments between the found family that just felt wholesome. I want to also mention the epic scenes, they are vivid and certainly hold their own against other Sci Fi worlds. The way time travel is woven into the story is amazing, I loved the adventure and how the prophecy unfolds. I think so many people will enjoy this book even if science fiction isn’t their usual thing due to the focus on the people and their stories. This truly is a book about love. Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
December 19, 2023
3.25 ⭐️
I guess I missed what everyone else sees in this book. I just finished it today and it was fairly underwhelming. The author is quite creative in her plots and worldbuilding, but the characters seemed to be relying wholly on explaining their tragedy and trauma to the reader in order for one to make an emotional connection to them, which just doesn’t work. I don’t think I could ever imagine them as grounded, realistic individuals. I think this mostly comes from the fact that all the main characters seem to consistently have an ‘inner voice’ that tells them what to do, which is very tropey and reminds me of a younger reading style. In general, it reads much younger than I first imagined as well, which unfortunately did not put me in a optimal headspace to enjoy it.
The author also makes what seems to be a common debut choice of getting heavy handed in their themes. It’s semi-frequently reminding the reader about unfairness and destiny ect ect. I’m not sure what this was supposed to achieve but it felt like wasted space in the novel. The diary segments already highlight this same fact without plainly stating so, so I don’t understand why it’s being written textually was well as with subtext of the diary entries. I love the ideas behind all the timelines and how the story can continue, but it hasn’t gotten me invested at all unfortunately. I’m not sure if I will continue with this series, but I wish the author best of luck.
I guess I missed what everyone else sees in this book. I just finished it today and it was fairly underwhelming. The author is quite creative in her plots and worldbuilding, but the characters seemed to be relying wholly on explaining their tragedy and trauma to the reader in order for one to make an emotional connection to them, which just doesn’t work. I don’t think I could ever imagine them as grounded, realistic individuals. I think this mostly comes from the fact that all the main characters seem to consistently have an ‘inner voice’ that tells them what to do, which is very tropey and reminds me of a younger reading style. In general, it reads much younger than I first imagined as well, which unfortunately did not put me in a optimal headspace to enjoy it.
The author also makes what seems to be a common debut choice of getting heavy handed in their themes. It’s semi-frequently reminding the reader about unfairness and destiny ect ect. I’m not sure what this was supposed to achieve but it felt like wasted space in the novel. The diary segments already highlight this same fact without plainly stating so, so I don’t understand why it’s being written textually was well as with subtext of the diary entries. I love the ideas behind all the timelines and how the story can continue, but it hasn’t gotten me invested at all unfortunately. I’m not sure if I will continue with this series, but I wish the author best of luck.
December 24, 2023
What did I just read... I'm confused but also not? This book decides to make the beginning very confusing and so I did not expect much from it. It is filled with unnecessary details that makes me rush through this book. This book drops hints here and there to make the reader interested in finding the full truth to the story, but it just makes it all the more confusing and the motivation to understand the full story slowly drips away. There is also another plot line going on in London 1812, but I also did not care for that. I mean, I like Obi's ability to time travel, but the plot of one of the old Heroes being corrupt and needing to save the city was bland. I did not feel threatened. When the story is finally uncovered and the pieces connects together, I could care less. I lost any interest to the plot at that point.
In regards to the characters, I find them to be bland. I didn't care for any of them and I could care less about their relationship with one another. It just felt like Obi's protectiveness over Asha is all too sudden even though they just met. It was nice and all to care but I could not bring myself to care. In addition, where the heck does Asha feelings for Xavier come from? They known each other for barely a week and she has the sudden urge to kiss him? What did he ever do to earn her heart? I've glean nothing from Xavier and they're all suddenly close. I understand all three of them are the reincarnation of the Heroes and they have an invisible link to one another, but that doesn't mean they should feel comfortable in one another presence so easily. It shouldn't be the explanation for such familiarity. Also, I understand that Asha had stolen books from the academy to learn how to hijack a jet and fly it for years, but it just so main character energy knowing everything and having it come to her so easily. She knows how to hack into a system despite being suppress by an Emperor and she didn't have any schooling. She just knows how to do things so easily and quickly. That really annoyed me.
I could not bring myself to care for anything in this book. One positive thing is that I wanted to see if this got any better once the whole story is uncovered, but that isn't saying much. (It didn't get any better once we find the truth.) I'm thrown into a world that is guided by a prophecy that makes no sense with characters I could care less about. I feel nothing for this book and I'm sorely disappointed on how it was executed.
In regards to the characters, I find them to be bland. I didn't care for any of them and I could care less about their relationship with one another. It just felt like Obi's protectiveness over Asha is all too sudden even though they just met. It was nice and all to care but I could not bring myself to care. In addition, where the heck does Asha feelings for Xavier come from? They known each other for barely a week and she has the sudden urge to kiss him? What did he ever do to earn her heart? I've glean nothing from Xavier and they're all suddenly close. I understand all three of them are the reincarnation of the Heroes and they have an invisible link to one another, but that doesn't mean they should feel comfortable in one another presence so easily. It shouldn't be the explanation for such familiarity. Also, I understand that Asha had stolen books from the academy to learn how to hijack a jet and fly it for years, but it just so main character energy knowing everything and having it come to her so easily. She knows how to hack into a system despite being suppress by an Emperor and she didn't have any schooling. She just knows how to do things so easily and quickly. That really annoyed me.
I could not bring myself to care for anything in this book. One positive thing is that I wanted to see if this got any better once the whole story is uncovered, but that isn't saying much. (It didn't get any better once we find the truth.) I'm thrown into a world that is guided by a prophecy that makes no sense with characters I could care less about. I feel nothing for this book and I'm sorely disappointed on how it was executed.
August 22, 2023
The Principle of Moments was truly epic and full of adventure, but with cinnamon roll characters and so much heart.
In a future where planet earth is gone, survivors of the human race have found another planet to inhabit. However, they are enslaved and work to build weaponry for an emperor who wants to take over the universe. Asha is one of these humans.
Obi is a time traveller stuck in 1812 regency London. He is stuck in that time after developing a time of sickness that means travelling will cause him to lose parts of himself. But it's not all bad, as he's been stuck in this time period growing up with his childhood friend to lover Prince George the future king of England.
In an unlikely turn of events, Obi and Asha's paths cross and they find out they are part of a prophecy to save the universe. This was WILD, this was EPIC, but at no point did I feel lost. This book is very easy to get into and very hard to put down. I quickly became attached to all of the characters.
The book has a strong found family element with Asha and Obi going from strangers to having a sibling type of relationship. Asha has to slowly open herself emotionally for the first time in her life and their story arc is so so special.
The story also has two romance storylines both being very very wholesome. Obi and Prince George were giving me yearning, yearning, yearning, yearning, and I loved it. While Asha has her own romance sub plot on her own which was equally as wholesome to see unfold.
Another aspect of the story which I enjoyed was the parallels of space and earth. In Space, we have an evil emperor who wants to take over planets and exploit its people, while on earth in 1812, there is the British empire. Lots of interesting conversations were touched upon throughout the book and I really loved seeing them in the SFF space.
Beyond excited for book 2 and being reunited with the characters and seeing how the story progresses because the sky/universe is the limit with where this could go.
12/09/2023
The sampler of this book really intrigued me. Such an interesting concept and the cover looks insane. My top anticipated sci-fi of 2024.
In a future where planet earth is gone, survivors of the human race have found another planet to inhabit. However, they are enslaved and work to build weaponry for an emperor who wants to take over the universe. Asha is one of these humans.
Obi is a time traveller stuck in 1812 regency London. He is stuck in that time after developing a time of sickness that means travelling will cause him to lose parts of himself. But it's not all bad, as he's been stuck in this time period growing up with his childhood friend to lover Prince George the future king of England.
In an unlikely turn of events, Obi and Asha's paths cross and they find out they are part of a prophecy to save the universe. This was WILD, this was EPIC, but at no point did I feel lost. This book is very easy to get into and very hard to put down. I quickly became attached to all of the characters.
The book has a strong found family element with Asha and Obi going from strangers to having a sibling type of relationship. Asha has to slowly open herself emotionally for the first time in her life and their story arc is so so special.
The story also has two romance storylines both being very very wholesome. Obi and Prince George were giving me yearning, yearning, yearning, yearning, and I loved it. While Asha has her own romance sub plot on her own which was equally as wholesome to see unfold.
Another aspect of the story which I enjoyed was the parallels of space and earth. In Space, we have an evil emperor who wants to take over planets and exploit its people, while on earth in 1812, there is the British empire. Lots of interesting conversations were touched upon throughout the book and I really loved seeing them in the SFF space.
Beyond excited for book 2 and being reunited with the characters and seeing how the story progresses because the sky/universe is the limit with where this could go.
12/09/2023
The sampler of this book really intrigued me. Such an interesting concept and the cover looks insane. My top anticipated sci-fi of 2024.
January 3, 2024
4.5 stars ✨
i really loved this book and i think it’s going to (rightfully) be very popular, even among those who don’t usually read sci-fi!
the premise was intriguing and well executed, and i enjoyed the dual timelines/settings. it also paved the way for some interesting discussions and parallels, all of which i think were handled well.
the characters were all very loveable and i enjoyed seeing their relationships develop. i did find one of the romance plots a bit rushed, but there was plot justification for this and i absolutely loved the other romance. i also really enjoyed the found family vibes and i’m already excited to return to these characters in the next book!
the writing was great and despite creative plots it didn’t feel hard to follow. i did personally feel like the pacing could have been a little better in places, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment too much and i was engaged throughout.
overall i really recommend this!! thank you to gollancz for the arc :)
i really loved this book and i think it’s going to (rightfully) be very popular, even among those who don’t usually read sci-fi!
the premise was intriguing and well executed, and i enjoyed the dual timelines/settings. it also paved the way for some interesting discussions and parallels, all of which i think were handled well.
the characters were all very loveable and i enjoyed seeing their relationships develop. i did find one of the romance plots a bit rushed, but there was plot justification for this and i absolutely loved the other romance. i also really enjoyed the found family vibes and i’m already excited to return to these characters in the next book!
the writing was great and despite creative plots it didn’t feel hard to follow. i did personally feel like the pacing could have been a little better in places, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment too much and i was engaged throughout.
overall i really recommend this!! thank you to gollancz for the arc :)
December 11, 2023
SO SO good!! I’m not even a sci-fi reader and couldn’t put this down— the pacing, character arc and dual timeline/settings worked so well. In love with this book 😩
January 3, 2024
In my opinion the story has potential but it does very much read like something that's been written by a 16 yo both from the quality of writing and the very convoluted, sometimes messy story. The characters felt very flat to me and i found conversation sections pretty confusing at times because none of them seemed to have a distinct voice. The fact that their fate is being very obviously foreshadowed to the reader is what makes it very annoying that they just don't seem to catch on until way too late in the book. I sadly did not find myself emotionally invested in this book or the characters at all. The world itself did not seem very well thought out. Why would you call every being of another species an Alien, when Humans are seemingly relatively rare? Why do these alien species not get names?
There were parts of the book that I enjoyed and they felt like they were the ones that were most closely related to the authors personal experience. All in all I found myself exasperated too often while reading this.
There were parts of the book that I enjoyed and they felt like they were the ones that were most closely related to the authors personal experience. All in all I found myself exasperated too often while reading this.
December 27, 2023
I did not vibe with this book.
I only made it to chapter 7 and it had to be put on the DNF shelf.
It’s repetitive, I love a prophecy foretold story but I hate being reminded several times in a chapter about it.
The spelling mistakes and grammatical errors really caught me off guard I would assume that those would all be checked before these were printed.
Having the Illumicrate edition the dust jacket and the book itself is beautiful. It was really well done in design. I love the theme of diversity among the characters.
Will probably try again another time but as for right now I’m just being honest.
I only made it to chapter 7 and it had to be put on the DNF shelf.
It’s repetitive, I love a prophecy foretold story but I hate being reminded several times in a chapter about it.
The spelling mistakes and grammatical errors really caught me off guard I would assume that those would all be checked before these were printed.
Having the Illumicrate edition the dust jacket and the book itself is beautiful. It was really well done in design. I love the theme of diversity among the characters.
Will probably try again another time but as for right now I’m just being honest.
January 1, 2024
I did not enjoy this book. It was my first book from illumicrate so I forced myself to finish for principle sake. I found the book to be too repetitive, the mention of the prophecy happened too much. The journal entries would of been enough to infer who was who but the repetitive reveal felt redundant. I really wanted to like this but I couldn't get into it. I did enjoy the relationship with the prince and the male time travel.
Read
February 7, 2024The Principle of Moments is a science-fantasy novel that injects a space opera setting with many of the themes and tropes firmly established by fantasy writers. Set between the years 6066 and 1812, our protagonists are Asha and Obi. She was born and raised on a desert planet which humanity escaped to, only to find that it is owned by a galactic emperor who enslaves our entire race.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-sci-fi-b...
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-sci-fi-b...
January 29, 2024
★★ - 2.5/5 stars
this book was an extremely frustrating read for me. it has the potential to be a fantastic book: the concept is incredibly interesting, the overall writing style of the author was enjoyable to read (there were some absolutely beautiful and haunting lines that will stick with me), the familial relationship between asha and obi was wonderful, and you could tell as you were reading that there was so much heart and love put into writing this book by the author.
however.
in my opinion, the book overall reads like a draft and not a final product. the first half of the book is a complete mess. i had absolutely no idea what was going on until about halfway, the pacing of the first half was all over the place, there was no real emotional development between the main characters and side characters because we were often just being told, not shown [mild spoiler] , and most egregiously, this book was very poorly edited.
there were a lot of continuity errors (the relationships between george and his parents/grandparents kept jumping back and forth, like the first draft had his father as the king but then the author changed their mind in the second half to make it his grandfather and forgot to edit half of the past mentions to fix it? asha not knowing how to read? but then later on magically knowing?) and quite a few typos (first one that comes to mind, page 278 "for someone reason") - esmie i'm begging you to get a better editor. whoever edited this book did a rush job and unfortunately your book suffers for it.
unfortunately i have no immediate plans to continue with this series. if the second book appears on a kindle sale then sure, i'd probably pick it up? but i won't be going out of my way to read more. that being said, i would definitely like to try reading from this author again the future after she's written some more things. like i said the ideas are there, the writing style - whilst could do with a bit more polish - is also there. i think she has the potential to go on and write some great books, so i'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her name. sadly though, this debut was a miss for me.
• instagram • goodreads •
this book was an extremely frustrating read for me. it has the potential to be a fantastic book: the concept is incredibly interesting, the overall writing style of the author was enjoyable to read (there were some absolutely beautiful and haunting lines that will stick with me), the familial relationship between asha and obi was wonderful, and you could tell as you were reading that there was so much heart and love put into writing this book by the author.
however.
in my opinion, the book overall reads like a draft and not a final product. the first half of the book is a complete mess. i had absolutely no idea what was going on until about halfway, the pacing of the first half was all over the place, there was no real emotional development between the main characters and side characters because we were often just being told, not shown [mild spoiler] , and most egregiously, this book was very poorly edited.
there were a lot of continuity errors (the relationships between george and his parents/grandparents kept jumping back and forth, like the first draft had his father as the king but then the author changed their mind in the second half to make it his grandfather and forgot to edit half of the past mentions to fix it? asha not knowing how to read? but then later on magically knowing?) and quite a few typos (first one that comes to mind, page 278 "for someone reason") - esmie i'm begging you to get a better editor. whoever edited this book did a rush job and unfortunately your book suffers for it.
unfortunately i have no immediate plans to continue with this series. if the second book appears on a kindle sale then sure, i'd probably pick it up? but i won't be going out of my way to read more. that being said, i would definitely like to try reading from this author again the future after she's written some more things. like i said the ideas are there, the writing style - whilst could do with a bit more polish - is also there. i think she has the potential to go on and write some great books, so i'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her name. sadly though, this debut was a miss for me.
• instagram • goodreads •
Want to Read
March 12, 2021March 12, 2021: The author says this is a 'spacefaring, century-spanning trilogy' and I'm all here for more diverse SFF so EXCUSE ME WHERE'S THE TIME CAPSULE TO REACH 2022 RIGHT NOW?
September 26, 2024
the casual mention of space whale-like creatures made me very, very excited
January 1, 2024
That was epic. Time travel space opera with regency London thrown in there?? I was immediately intrigued by the concept, and every page was just as engaging for me until the very end. I wouldn’t compare this to N.K. Jemisin, but could definitely see the Jemisin influence within it. If this is what came from this author’s mind as a teenager, I can’t wait to see her author journey going forward.
January 18, 2024
Rep: Black mc, Black gay mc, gay mc, Black side characters
more positive thoughts here, the most key of which is that this was really fun!
other thoughts:
more positive thoughts here, the most key of which is that this was really fun!
other thoughts:
March 3, 2024
I read this book very slowly to savour it, because I immediately knew it would be all-time favourite material for me.
I absolutely adore sci-fi as a genre, but I'm very picky with which books I pick up, because there are a lot that just aren't what I look for in the genre. But this book is exactly what I love. It has time travel, characters I adored, a very intricate plot that still somehow always made sense to me, all the Doctor Who vibes, phenomenal writing, and a romance that I felt so invested in. It's truly such an original read, while also drawing from everything I love when I watch, say, Doctor Who, Marvel, Star Trek.
I absolutely adore sci-fi as a genre, but I'm very picky with which books I pick up, because there are a lot that just aren't what I look for in the genre. But this book is exactly what I love. It has time travel, characters I adored, a very intricate plot that still somehow always made sense to me, all the Doctor Who vibes, phenomenal writing, and a romance that I felt so invested in. It's truly such an original read, while also drawing from everything I love when I watch, say, Doctor Who, Marvel, Star Trek.
January 13, 2024
1 Star – DNF at 20%
Mild spoilers for the first 20% of the books!
It was such a massive disappointment to be confronted with something so poorly crafted it can hardly be called a book, rather a printed fanfiction.
I’m going to start with the thing that angered me the most, something that doesn’t have a place in a well written and edited novel.
Logical Errors
1: On page 25 we're confronted with our MC, Asha, stating she mined the Academy’s archives for classroom footage over a period of 7 years. This, however, doesn't add up with the previous information we’ve been given. In the first chapterAsha states she gained access to Academy through her modified, Empire-issued tablet that each member gets at 14. We also learned our heroin has just turned 18.
So math ain't mathing since 18 – 14 = 4, not 7 so were did you get those 3 extra years?
2: On page 33 Obi, 2nd MC a time traveler, returns to 1812 London and decides to parade in…a hoodie, jeans and Nike shoes. Yet no one pays attention to that and not one's perplexed by this strange clothing. The world doesn’t react as it should, it looks so unnatural and fake I can’t immerse myself in the story.
3: On page 36 we learn this : “[…]centuries ago on a planet that no longer existed, under the light of its twin moons.” It shows the lack of effort and research put into this novel.I expect more of a sci-fi book in terms of knowledge about the cosmos and the moons. Not a single moon emits light, they only REFLECT the light of stars. So what light again?
4: On page 41 the author slips again. Her character, a time traveler who saw many millennia, refers to something as reminding him of a “modern hospital”. Modern as in reference to what era? Haven’t the hospitals underwent any substantial change in the centuries since our era? Or was it slip on the author’s part when she couldn’t describe it clearly or make reference to something from a specific time period, maybe come up with how some things evolved in the medical industry and became standard.
5: On page 41/42 we learn Obi appeared on the doorstep of Prince George when they both were still young, and conveniently, there was not a single guard on the premises, to stop him from meeting Obi. No one heard Obi scream save for George who can walk outside and meet stranger..
6: On page 53/54 Asha, after some clunky ‘action’, is confronted by a being that wants/needs her help in saving Asha’s missing sister. This being tells her that she needs to escape this planet, but why won’t it take her with it? It clearly just arrived on this planet, so why can’t they sneak out together? It expressed how much it needs her to succeed with her mission, so why not help her?
7: On page 61 Obi says to George : “Well, I’d like to formally apologize. For being a dickhead.” And yet, George doesn’t seem appalled by such crude language that in his era was considered outrageous and kind of language used by the lowest classes.Also, ‘dickhead’ was annotated since 1960’s with the ‘jerk’ sense appearing earliest. Therefore George wouldn’t understand the word and it’s meaning, since this particular insult didn’t exist in 1812. He should, however, be appalled by the phrase containing ‘dick’ in it, even if the meaning alluded him, and be put off by the crudeness of Obi’s language.
8: On page 63 Obi says to George: “Also, you’re not my boyfriend.” Another linguistic error. Boyfriend as in ‘a woman’s paramour’ was first used in 1909, and in a non-romantic sense of ‘juvenile male companion’ in circa 1850. So how come George perfectly understands the meaning of Obi’s words? Why does he keep reacting as some random fuckboy from 2020’s would, instead of a future monarch of England in 1800’s?
9: On page 67, Obi uses the word ‘Okay’ and yet again, the world doesn’t react as it should. ‘OK’ originates in 1839 as a slogan US for ‘all correct’. ‘OK’ was further popularized mid-19th century, circa 1840’s USA, where it was used in the presidential campaign slogan. So NO ONE, would understand what is means in 1812 England.
10: On page 81 Asha states her previous attempt at hacking into the system of her planet was detected 1min after her breaching the system. And yet no consequences ever arose from it? If they are so vigilant and detect any hacking attempts so fast, why didn’t they bother looking further into it and tracking the perpetrator?I don’t believe Asha's so good as to erase any trace of her hacking attempt, since she wasn’t skilled enough to conceal her presence in the system in the first place.
11: On page 82 Asha shows of her intellect by saying she finished her stolen 1 year college course in 1 month,but then she says her now being able to fly an aircraft is simply a‘convenient explanation of an escape route’. This, however, is contradicted by her explanation in the first chapter when her reason for modifying her tablet, hacking academy archives and stealing courses is so she can learn how to fly an aircraft and finally escape. So the author changes her mind on the whim and doesn’t comprehend the basics of cause and consequence for her MC’s actions.
12: Then on page 79-84 we have Asha being confused by time.What Asha did was sit at her house, leave andreach academy, reach an aircraft and work on in for a specific amount of time and then being busted by students. Before she left her house Asha was staring at the clock so she should have had at least a slight idea what time it was when she left. Then some time passes between her leaving and reaching Academy, but Asha made that route before so she should be able to roughly estimate the time needed to get there. Once insidewe've this this : “Five hours later; Asha sank to the ground, feverish with exhaustion.” So, it takes her exactly 5 hours, therefore she must have kept track of the time to know it was as much. But when some students walk in on her, she is surprised and says on page 84 : “She wondered what time it was. She hadn’t been keeping track.” Then how on Earth do you know for sure that you’ve been working on that aircraft for 5 hours?
13: On pages 85/86 Asha is hit on her head by ‘aliens’ but never faints, as a normal person would.
14: Another contradiction ison pages 91 and 93. Obi states on page 91 : “He left you at eight years old, […]” referring to his father abandoning him. Then on page 93 Obi states : “It was the only time his father ever smiled – and this was the last place they’d ever gone. Obi had been ten years old, buzzing with excitement.” So how old were you then, 8 or 10, because you keep changing your mind.
15: The last logical errorare the tablets themselves. Their existence as empire-issued gadgets at 14 don’t make sense. Humanity is enslaved race, forced to work for the empire, so why give them instruments they can use to escape or rebel against you? It’s not explained they are needed for their work, so why are they handed out?
Prose –It’s so clunky and over-the-top at points it’s obvious the author was trying way to hard to make her prose/descriptions, deep, lyrical and epic, with her ‘true voice’ shining though at moments and making the contrast between the two glaringly obvious. It took away from the reading experience in general, having to constantly flip between the two styles.
At moments the prose is so insufferable that I skim-read sentences or paragraphs. Sometimes the sentences are not even able to clearly convey a message, and I found myself confused as to what was happening.
Often there are entire sentences in the brackets, looking like notes made while writing first draft. It made the prose amateurish.
The author often makes comparisons in her prose, they are often a bit out of place or strange and unnecessary.
1: “Equations were solving themselves against the pale red backdrop of her closed eyelids like flowers blooming. Each one yielded yet more numbers, spilling out unknown quantities like gemstones tumbling from a geode, cracked wide open and sparkling in the red, noonday sun.”- page 11
The comparison is strange and feels unnatural. I fail to see any similarities between the two things being compared with each other. Also, the sentence is unclear since it’s hard to definitively say what the last part refers to–the quantities or the gemstones.
The prose often breaks the basic rule of writing ‘Show don’t Tell’ and instead we are treated to excruciatingly long exposition dumps.
At other times prose is very childish and reminds me of fanfiction. But I must admit, I’ve read fanfictions written better and more thoughtfully than this.
2: “He liked to make his hand into the shape of a gun for the vibes, though he realized this was probably inappropriate” - page 41
Vibes? Really? What kind of gen-Z talk is this? What next, someone’s gonna be sus af?
3: “[…]-it was only part of the dome that opened automatically on motion sensors, as it was totally inaccessible to humans, and only serviced the school.” (‘totally’ destroys the flow of the sentence)
Prose fails to situate us properly in place and time, making us guess as to when the action is taking place and how the surroundings look like.
Both characters suffer from the exact same tendency to have entire paragraphs of monologue in their heads as a way of explaining their current/past action or to info-dump.
There is no subtext in this story and everything is spelled out/explained immediately after it happens. It’s insulting to the reader’s intelligence.
4: “His name was nothing to her – another impossible thing in an hour filled with them. But she knew a cult when she heard one. You will call me Sentiel. She knew a threat when she heard one, too. The worst thing that has ever happened to you.” – page 49/50
Here are other examples of strange sentences that are in contrast with themselves and the other ‘lyrical’ prose
5: “[...]Obi realized he had forgotten what it felt like to be a boy, horsing around with another boy, with no one else’s opinion present in the room.” - page 57
‘Horsing around’ stands out not only in this sentence alone, but also compared to the rest of the paragraph.
6: “You can’t just waltz in here and act like nothing has changed.” – page 45
This is said by Prince George who sounds like a 15-year-old from 2020’s instead of prince from 1800’s.
7: “It made Asha want to scream, or throw something, or violently stab someone – preferably someone whose name rhymed with ‘basin’ – but she couldn’t. – page 21
Fanfiction level prose of your typical angry and violent but cute OMC (Original Main Character).
Plot – It’s just a cluster of conveniences, random events, incomprehensibly described actions and illogical consequences.
The first problem is the long Prologue intro, comprised of 3 parts : Beginning, Middle, End. The prose is too lyrical there, not much happens and it’s hard to understand what it’s supposed to represent. It doesn't drag you into the story.
There is no hook where the book proper starts. We just dwell around with the annoying MC and nothing significant happens. This is another basic rule of writing. Thefirst paragraph, preferably first sentence, should hook you in.Here we have to get to page 11 to get through all the prologues, and then still, nothing.
The events that take place don’t seem to be connected at all, instead you could summarize the entire thing by saying ‘and then this happens, and then that happens.’
There are no stakes, everything feels flat and convinient. Motivations are vague at best, non-existent/far-fetched at worst, it feels hollow and superficial. It’s hard to tell where the story might be going since nothing seems to connect, and instead we are given a few loose threads, two annoying MC’s and poorly introduced world to go with.
Characters – Dual perspective – Asha’s and Obi’s. Both are indistinguishable from one another, with exactly the same personality and voice.There's not one admirable character trait I can name. Asha’s emotions flicker left and right, depending on what page you’re one, with nothing causing the change or clear direction in sight.
Asha shows of her intellect by TELLING us what she'd do, how she'd flip everyone on her planet off as she escaped. Those people she'd flip off are just as much enslaved and being exploited as she is, but Asha is an egoist who thinks herself above the rest, so why care and show sympathy.
Obi is just as arrogant and unsympathetic. He’s also a prissy bitch who walks out as soon as the smallest inconvenience happens and shows little empathy for others.
Worldbuilding – Lazy and uninspired. We get bare bones. Nothing is described.The politics of the empire are vague, with some clichéd tropes of 'mighty evil empire’. We're thrown in a new world and no effort is put into grounding us in it, helping as understand its working and make us crave to see and understand more of it.
The species we encounter are just a hazy. They are never explored or even described physically, save one cliché lizard species. They're referred to as 'aliens'. This isn’t the only lazy naming gig. We also have ‘The Artefacts’, ‘The Sickness’ and probably some others.
Summery: Just shut your brain off, it will be fine! Enjoy the vast and uninspired nothingness that is this worldbuilding and read the words.
My Thoughts : I’m so heartbroken at my negative reading experience and deeply regret not liking it like some seem to do. I really wanted to love this story, since it was my introduction to the Sci-Fi genre and my first Illumicrate book ever. I’m also not the type of reader who loves to hate books and reads them out of spite to shit on them later on. I read what I believe will be to my liking and don’t look for things and elements to hate in any book I pick up. This had a potential but unfortunately it is horrendously underutilized and wasted. The entire book feels very rough and raw, more like an old 1st draft written when the author was still an angsty teenager rather than a professionally published and edited novel. I won’t be picking up the rest of this series or any other book written by this author, since her style and shallow approach to the craft and art of writing are not to my liking.
TL;DR Logic : Non existent
Prose : Vague and inconsistent
Plot : What plot? Random events is all we’ve got
Characters : Obnoxious, unlikable and annoying
Worldbuilding : Lazy, uninspired and amateurish
Mild spoilers for the first 20% of the books!
It was such a massive disappointment to be confronted with something so poorly crafted it can hardly be called a book, rather a printed fanfiction.
I’m going to start with the thing that angered me the most, something that doesn’t have a place in a well written and edited novel.
Logical Errors
1: On page 25 we're confronted with our MC, Asha, stating she mined the Academy’s archives for classroom footage over a period of 7 years. This, however, doesn't add up with the previous information we’ve been given. In the first chapterAsha states she gained access to Academy through her modified, Empire-issued tablet that each member gets at 14. We also learned our heroin has just turned 18.
So math ain't mathing since 18 – 14 = 4, not 7 so were did you get those 3 extra years?
2: On page 33 Obi, 2nd MC a time traveler, returns to 1812 London and decides to parade in…a hoodie, jeans and Nike shoes. Yet no one pays attention to that and not one's perplexed by this strange clothing. The world doesn’t react as it should, it looks so unnatural and fake I can’t immerse myself in the story.
3: On page 36 we learn this : “[…]centuries ago on a planet that no longer existed, under the light of its twin moons.” It shows the lack of effort and research put into this novel.I expect more of a sci-fi book in terms of knowledge about the cosmos and the moons. Not a single moon emits light, they only REFLECT the light of stars. So what light again?
4: On page 41 the author slips again. Her character, a time traveler who saw many millennia, refers to something as reminding him of a “modern hospital”. Modern as in reference to what era? Haven’t the hospitals underwent any substantial change in the centuries since our era? Or was it slip on the author’s part when she couldn’t describe it clearly or make reference to something from a specific time period, maybe come up with how some things evolved in the medical industry and became standard.
5: On page 41/42 we learn Obi appeared on the doorstep of Prince George when they both were still young, and conveniently, there was not a single guard on the premises, to stop him from meeting Obi. No one heard Obi scream save for George who can walk outside and meet stranger..
6: On page 53/54 Asha, after some clunky ‘action’, is confronted by a being that wants/needs her help in saving Asha’s missing sister. This being tells her that she needs to escape this planet, but why won’t it take her with it? It clearly just arrived on this planet, so why can’t they sneak out together? It expressed how much it needs her to succeed with her mission, so why not help her?
7: On page 61 Obi says to George : “Well, I’d like to formally apologize. For being a dickhead.” And yet, George doesn’t seem appalled by such crude language that in his era was considered outrageous and kind of language used by the lowest classes.Also, ‘dickhead’ was annotated since 1960’s with the ‘jerk’ sense appearing earliest. Therefore George wouldn’t understand the word and it’s meaning, since this particular insult didn’t exist in 1812. He should, however, be appalled by the phrase containing ‘dick’ in it, even if the meaning alluded him, and be put off by the crudeness of Obi’s language.
8: On page 63 Obi says to George: “Also, you’re not my boyfriend.” Another linguistic error. Boyfriend as in ‘a woman’s paramour’ was first used in 1909, and in a non-romantic sense of ‘juvenile male companion’ in circa 1850. So how come George perfectly understands the meaning of Obi’s words? Why does he keep reacting as some random fuckboy from 2020’s would, instead of a future monarch of England in 1800’s?
9: On page 67, Obi uses the word ‘Okay’ and yet again, the world doesn’t react as it should. ‘OK’ originates in 1839 as a slogan US for ‘all correct’. ‘OK’ was further popularized mid-19th century, circa 1840’s USA, where it was used in the presidential campaign slogan. So NO ONE, would understand what is means in 1812 England.
10: On page 81 Asha states her previous attempt at hacking into the system of her planet was detected 1min after her breaching the system. And yet no consequences ever arose from it? If they are so vigilant and detect any hacking attempts so fast, why didn’t they bother looking further into it and tracking the perpetrator?I don’t believe Asha's so good as to erase any trace of her hacking attempt, since she wasn’t skilled enough to conceal her presence in the system in the first place.
11: On page 82 Asha shows of her intellect by saying she finished her stolen 1 year college course in 1 month,but then she says her now being able to fly an aircraft is simply a‘convenient explanation of an escape route’. This, however, is contradicted by her explanation in the first chapter when her reason for modifying her tablet, hacking academy archives and stealing courses is so she can learn how to fly an aircraft and finally escape. So the author changes her mind on the whim and doesn’t comprehend the basics of cause and consequence for her MC’s actions.
12: Then on page 79-84 we have Asha being confused by time.What Asha did was sit at her house, leave andreach academy, reach an aircraft and work on in for a specific amount of time and then being busted by students. Before she left her house Asha was staring at the clock so she should have had at least a slight idea what time it was when she left. Then some time passes between her leaving and reaching Academy, but Asha made that route before so she should be able to roughly estimate the time needed to get there. Once insidewe've this this : “Five hours later; Asha sank to the ground, feverish with exhaustion.” So, it takes her exactly 5 hours, therefore she must have kept track of the time to know it was as much. But when some students walk in on her, she is surprised and says on page 84 : “She wondered what time it was. She hadn’t been keeping track.” Then how on Earth do you know for sure that you’ve been working on that aircraft for 5 hours?
13: On pages 85/86 Asha is hit on her head by ‘aliens’ but never faints, as a normal person would.
14: Another contradiction ison pages 91 and 93. Obi states on page 91 : “He left you at eight years old, […]” referring to his father abandoning him. Then on page 93 Obi states : “It was the only time his father ever smiled – and this was the last place they’d ever gone. Obi had been ten years old, buzzing with excitement.” So how old were you then, 8 or 10, because you keep changing your mind.
15: The last logical errorare the tablets themselves. Their existence as empire-issued gadgets at 14 don’t make sense. Humanity is enslaved race, forced to work for the empire, so why give them instruments they can use to escape or rebel against you? It’s not explained they are needed for their work, so why are they handed out?
Prose –It’s so clunky and over-the-top at points it’s obvious the author was trying way to hard to make her prose/descriptions, deep, lyrical and epic, with her ‘true voice’ shining though at moments and making the contrast between the two glaringly obvious. It took away from the reading experience in general, having to constantly flip between the two styles.
At moments the prose is so insufferable that I skim-read sentences or paragraphs. Sometimes the sentences are not even able to clearly convey a message, and I found myself confused as to what was happening.
Often there are entire sentences in the brackets, looking like notes made while writing first draft. It made the prose amateurish.
The author often makes comparisons in her prose, they are often a bit out of place or strange and unnecessary.
1: “Equations were solving themselves against the pale red backdrop of her closed eyelids like flowers blooming. Each one yielded yet more numbers, spilling out unknown quantities like gemstones tumbling from a geode, cracked wide open and sparkling in the red, noonday sun.”- page 11
The comparison is strange and feels unnatural. I fail to see any similarities between the two things being compared with each other. Also, the sentence is unclear since it’s hard to definitively say what the last part refers to–the quantities or the gemstones.
The prose often breaks the basic rule of writing ‘Show don’t Tell’ and instead we are treated to excruciatingly long exposition dumps.
At other times prose is very childish and reminds me of fanfiction. But I must admit, I’ve read fanfictions written better and more thoughtfully than this.
2: “He liked to make his hand into the shape of a gun for the vibes, though he realized this was probably inappropriate” - page 41
Vibes? Really? What kind of gen-Z talk is this? What next, someone’s gonna be sus af?
3: “[…]-it was only part of the dome that opened automatically on motion sensors, as it was totally inaccessible to humans, and only serviced the school.” (‘totally’ destroys the flow of the sentence)
Prose fails to situate us properly in place and time, making us guess as to when the action is taking place and how the surroundings look like.
Both characters suffer from the exact same tendency to have entire paragraphs of monologue in their heads as a way of explaining their current/past action or to info-dump.
There is no subtext in this story and everything is spelled out/explained immediately after it happens. It’s insulting to the reader’s intelligence.
4: “His name was nothing to her – another impossible thing in an hour filled with them. But she knew a cult when she heard one. You will call me Sentiel. She knew a threat when she heard one, too. The worst thing that has ever happened to you.” – page 49/50
Here are other examples of strange sentences that are in contrast with themselves and the other ‘lyrical’ prose
5: “[...]Obi realized he had forgotten what it felt like to be a boy, horsing around with another boy, with no one else’s opinion present in the room.” - page 57
‘Horsing around’ stands out not only in this sentence alone, but also compared to the rest of the paragraph.
6: “You can’t just waltz in here and act like nothing has changed.” – page 45
This is said by Prince George who sounds like a 15-year-old from 2020’s instead of prince from 1800’s.
7: “It made Asha want to scream, or throw something, or violently stab someone – preferably someone whose name rhymed with ‘basin’ – but she couldn’t. – page 21
Fanfiction level prose of your typical angry and violent but cute OMC (Original Main Character).
Plot – It’s just a cluster of conveniences, random events, incomprehensibly described actions and illogical consequences.
The first problem is the long Prologue intro, comprised of 3 parts : Beginning, Middle, End. The prose is too lyrical there, not much happens and it’s hard to understand what it’s supposed to represent. It doesn't drag you into the story.
There is no hook where the book proper starts. We just dwell around with the annoying MC and nothing significant happens. This is another basic rule of writing. Thefirst paragraph, preferably first sentence, should hook you in.Here we have to get to page 11 to get through all the prologues, and then still, nothing.
The events that take place don’t seem to be connected at all, instead you could summarize the entire thing by saying ‘and then this happens, and then that happens.’
There are no stakes, everything feels flat and convinient. Motivations are vague at best, non-existent/far-fetched at worst, it feels hollow and superficial. It’s hard to tell where the story might be going since nothing seems to connect, and instead we are given a few loose threads, two annoying MC’s and poorly introduced world to go with.
Characters – Dual perspective – Asha’s and Obi’s. Both are indistinguishable from one another, with exactly the same personality and voice.There's not one admirable character trait I can name. Asha’s emotions flicker left and right, depending on what page you’re one, with nothing causing the change or clear direction in sight.
Asha shows of her intellect by TELLING us what she'd do, how she'd flip everyone on her planet off as she escaped. Those people she'd flip off are just as much enslaved and being exploited as she is, but Asha is an egoist who thinks herself above the rest, so why care and show sympathy.
Obi is just as arrogant and unsympathetic. He’s also a prissy bitch who walks out as soon as the smallest inconvenience happens and shows little empathy for others.
Worldbuilding – Lazy and uninspired. We get bare bones. Nothing is described.The politics of the empire are vague, with some clichéd tropes of 'mighty evil empire’. We're thrown in a new world and no effort is put into grounding us in it, helping as understand its working and make us crave to see and understand more of it.
The species we encounter are just a hazy. They are never explored or even described physically, save one cliché lizard species. They're referred to as 'aliens'. This isn’t the only lazy naming gig. We also have ‘The Artefacts’, ‘The Sickness’ and probably some others.
Summery: Just shut your brain off, it will be fine! Enjoy the vast and uninspired nothingness that is this worldbuilding and read the words.
My Thoughts : I’m so heartbroken at my negative reading experience and deeply regret not liking it like some seem to do. I really wanted to love this story, since it was my introduction to the Sci-Fi genre and my first Illumicrate book ever. I’m also not the type of reader who loves to hate books and reads them out of spite to shit on them later on. I read what I believe will be to my liking and don’t look for things and elements to hate in any book I pick up. This had a potential but unfortunately it is horrendously underutilized and wasted. The entire book feels very rough and raw, more like an old 1st draft written when the author was still an angsty teenager rather than a professionally published and edited novel. I won’t be picking up the rest of this series or any other book written by this author, since her style and shallow approach to the craft and art of writing are not to my liking.
TL;DR Logic : Non existent
Prose : Vague and inconsistent
Plot : What plot? Random events is all we’ve got
Characters : Obnoxious, unlikable and annoying
Worldbuilding : Lazy, uninspired and amateurish
February 8, 2024
This book was very fun and a refreshing read after reading so many heavy books before that. I loved how you can easily identify the stories and worlds that inspired Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson to write this books. You can easily identify the portions that were directly inspired by NK. Jemisin, VE Scwab, Becky Chambers and more. All of the fun Star Wars and Doctor Who references had me pointing at the book like the Leonardo Dicaprio meme. I do think that all of these reference became a little distracting, and at times obscured the authors own unique voice.
I had quite a fun time with all the creativity on the page, as well as the world and the adventures our characters go on. I could not help but fall in love with Asha and Obi and their heartwarming friendship. Although there is quite a lot happening in the book (magical prophecy, tyranical emperor, different timelines, time travel, demons, forbidden loves) what makes this book special is the effortless love that grows between our two main characters. Even at it's shakiest moments, the relationship between Asha and Obi made the story worth it for me. My love for Obi and Asha was cemented when Obi took his time to take care of Asha and do her braids, as any older sibling would do for their younger sibling. That small familial act was the best representation of the main idea of the story. It is a story about family, the ups and downs that come with it, and the peace we experience when we finally find our home.
Despite how fun the book is, I must say that it is simply doing too much. There are too many set pieces introduced (especially in the 6066 timeline) and too little time spent slowing down and building the relationships between the characters (except for Asha and Obi). The biggest example of this to me is the time Asha and Obi joined a scavenger crew ship. Asha claims these are the best days of her life, and that she has found a new family, except there are not many moments that actualy SHOW this. Except for her time with Xavior, we do not see any interactions between Asha and the rest of the crew, but we are TOLD that relationships are being built.
This lack of space to build emotional moments happens over and over again. There is SO much that the book wants to say, SO many pieces that need to be put into place that at time it is the characters and emotional moments that suffer the most.
Regardless of these critiques I cannot help but really like the book. It is a gran adventure, with two lovable main characters, and enough action to keep you invested. I really cannot wait for book 2!
TW: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Racism, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual violence, Genocide, Slavery, Gore, Addiction, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, Suicide, Rape, and Murder
I had quite a fun time with all the creativity on the page, as well as the world and the adventures our characters go on. I could not help but fall in love with Asha and Obi and their heartwarming friendship. Although there is quite a lot happening in the book (magical prophecy, tyranical emperor, different timelines, time travel, demons, forbidden loves) what makes this book special is the effortless love that grows between our two main characters. Even at it's shakiest moments, the relationship between Asha and Obi made the story worth it for me. My love for Obi and Asha was cemented when Obi took his time to take care of Asha and do her braids, as any older sibling would do for their younger sibling. That small familial act was the best representation of the main idea of the story. It is a story about family, the ups and downs that come with it, and the peace we experience when we finally find our home.
Despite how fun the book is, I must say that it is simply doing too much. There are too many set pieces introduced (especially in the 6066 timeline) and too little time spent slowing down and building the relationships between the characters (except for Asha and Obi). The biggest example of this to me is the time Asha and Obi joined a scavenger crew ship. Asha claims these are the best days of her life, and that she has found a new family, except there are not many moments that actualy SHOW this. Except for her time with Xavior, we do not see any interactions between Asha and the rest of the crew, but we are TOLD that relationships are being built.
This lack of space to build emotional moments happens over and over again. There is SO much that the book wants to say, SO many pieces that need to be put into place that at time it is the characters and emotional moments that suffer the most.
Regardless of these critiques I cannot help but really like the book. It is a gran adventure, with two lovable main characters, and enough action to keep you invested. I really cannot wait for book 2!
TW: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Racism, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual violence, Genocide, Slavery, Gore, Addiction, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, Suicide, Rape, and Murder
January 21, 2024
At least this book provided it's own review: "What a mess. What a colossally gargantuan unmitigated clusterfuck of a situation"
Before I carry on, I should add that I hate to hate on books. Really. When I don't enjoy something, I mostly just chalk up to it not being for me. I was really excited to read this one, and the intro note honestly had me rooting for it to be good.
This was awful. The plot is all over the place. The characters are flat. And you better really want to hear about that prophecy because you're gonna get reminded about it every 4 pages.
That's not even the half of it. I really should have DNF'd it because the whole thing was a slog. I'm sorry. I hated it.
Before I carry on, I should add that I hate to hate on books. Really. When I don't enjoy something, I mostly just chalk up to it not being for me. I was really excited to read this one, and the intro note honestly had me rooting for it to be good.
This was awful. The plot is all over the place. The characters are flat. And you better really want to hear about that prophecy because you're gonna get reminded about it every 4 pages.
That's not even the half of it. I really should have DNF'd it because the whole thing was a slog. I'm sorry. I hated it.
September 10, 2024
This was such a fun and exciting read, it felt so wholly original and like no other SFF I’ve read in a long time. If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, it sounds like a crazy comparison I know, but reading this feels exactly the same as watching an episode. Just so much fun, with a healthy dose of heartbreak and madness.
I’m always a little apprehensive with science-y books because something in my brain just seems to fail and can never fully comprehend the worldbuilding or character hierarchy, but this was very well handled. It’s quite gentle in how it eases you in, without stirpping back any of the intensity or richness of the book itself either. It felt extremely balanced and accessible to me, and it just clicked. The pacing was also really great, so while this is a bit of a chunky first instalment, it keeps going really nicely and there's lots of action and drama to get stuck into. It’s quite highly strung emotionally, and it’s satisfying watching all of the puzzle pieces fall into place as this first book concludes.
It’s told in a dual timeline and dual narrative style, and I feel like it really worked here. I loved every perspective, they all added another layer to the story and all of the characters were so complex and lovable. They were so so soft, and the elements of found family being sparked here is something I’m excited to see explored in the following books. If you’re looking for romance, there is a splash in here but it’s no means the main focus. We do have so much pining, ad grovelling, and aching adoration from both parties though and it was so heart wrenching to read. A lot of tenderness, and messy feelings, and an irresistible tug from across worlds and timelines. They were like soft little chaotic space babies.
The writing was really well done, and Jikiemi-Pearson’s voice is definitely a new favourite. I can’t wait to see how the series moves forward from here. It also had some really interesting themes, and the parallels between past and future were thought provoking. Though for the most part it is a fun space romp, there’s heavier underlying discussions on colonialism and the British empire, as well as grief and loneliness. Just a lot packaged up into this beautiful book, which made for a really well rounded, thought provoking, emotional reading journey.
I’m always a little apprehensive with science-y books because something in my brain just seems to fail and can never fully comprehend the worldbuilding or character hierarchy, but this was very well handled. It’s quite gentle in how it eases you in, without stirpping back any of the intensity or richness of the book itself either. It felt extremely balanced and accessible to me, and it just clicked. The pacing was also really great, so while this is a bit of a chunky first instalment, it keeps going really nicely and there's lots of action and drama to get stuck into. It’s quite highly strung emotionally, and it’s satisfying watching all of the puzzle pieces fall into place as this first book concludes.
It’s told in a dual timeline and dual narrative style, and I feel like it really worked here. I loved every perspective, they all added another layer to the story and all of the characters were so complex and lovable. They were so so soft, and the elements of found family being sparked here is something I’m excited to see explored in the following books. If you’re looking for romance, there is a splash in here but it’s no means the main focus. We do have so much pining, ad grovelling, and aching adoration from both parties though and it was so heart wrenching to read. A lot of tenderness, and messy feelings, and an irresistible tug from across worlds and timelines. They were like soft little chaotic space babies.
The writing was really well done, and Jikiemi-Pearson’s voice is definitely a new favourite. I can’t wait to see how the series moves forward from here. It also had some really interesting themes, and the parallels between past and future were thought provoking. Though for the most part it is a fun space romp, there’s heavier underlying discussions on colonialism and the British empire, as well as grief and loneliness. Just a lot packaged up into this beautiful book, which made for a really well rounded, thought provoking, emotional reading journey.
January 17, 2024
3.5 (rounded up)
Courage is the only thing stronger than fear, and love is the thread that holds the atoms of this universe together.
The Principle of Moments is described as a space opera with elements of Regency romance and I feel like that is a perfect way to summarize this book. Jikiemi-Pearson writes lovely and heartrending prose amid an epic adventure through both time and space full of ups and downs and many, many high stakes.
While there were many moments that I loved in this book, the few that I didn’t unfortunately stuck out to me. George and Obi’s relationship, along with Obi and Asha’s found family dynamic were beautiful and I loved reading their differing relationships unfold throughout the story. However, it is quite unfortunate that I didn’t love Asha and Xavier’s relationship as that seems to be hinted as something central to the sequels. (Slight spoilers here) I thought that their relationship development was a bit rushed as the author seems to rely heavily on the use of the prophecy and their past lives as a way to further their development, but it ended up feeling like the author was trying to tell us why Asha and Xavier will end up together, rather than showing us their natural development as characters within this relationship. (End Spoilers) Perhaps this is because the use of prophecies within SFF novels tend to be either a hit or miss for me, which is not to say that it did not work for this book, it did to a certain extent, but I personally felt that some aspects of the plot and characters seemed rushed for the benefit of fulfilling said prophecy.
As a debut novel, I’m thoroughly impressed with Jikiemi-Pearson’s world-building and her talents as a writer. While not all the elements of the novel worked for me, I’m still very excited to check out the sequel when the time comes.
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16/1/24: first book of 2024 💫 and wow so many thoughts.
a sci-fi adventure full of heroes and prophecies and I can’t believe we have to wait for the next book?
Courage is the only thing stronger than fear, and love is the thread that holds the atoms of this universe together.
The Principle of Moments is described as a space opera with elements of Regency romance and I feel like that is a perfect way to summarize this book. Jikiemi-Pearson writes lovely and heartrending prose amid an epic adventure through both time and space full of ups and downs and many, many high stakes.
While there were many moments that I loved in this book, the few that I didn’t unfortunately stuck out to me. George and Obi’s relationship, along with Obi and Asha’s found family dynamic were beautiful and I loved reading their differing relationships unfold throughout the story. However, it is quite unfortunate that I didn’t love Asha and Xavier’s relationship as that seems to be hinted as something central to the sequels. (Slight spoilers here) I thought that their relationship development was a bit rushed as the author seems to rely heavily on the use of the prophecy and their past lives as a way to further their development, but it ended up feeling like the author was trying to tell us why Asha and Xavier will end up together, rather than showing us their natural development as characters within this relationship. (End Spoilers) Perhaps this is because the use of prophecies within SFF novels tend to be either a hit or miss for me, which is not to say that it did not work for this book, it did to a certain extent, but I personally felt that some aspects of the plot and characters seemed rushed for the benefit of fulfilling said prophecy.
As a debut novel, I’m thoroughly impressed with Jikiemi-Pearson’s world-building and her talents as a writer. While not all the elements of the novel worked for me, I’m still very excited to check out the sequel when the time comes.
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16/1/24: first book of 2024 💫 and wow so many thoughts.
a sci-fi adventure full of heroes and prophecies and I can’t believe we have to wait for the next book?
December 20, 2024
“Courage is the only thing stronger than fear, and love is the thread that holds the atoms of this universe together.”
For a debut this was pretty impressive and I think there are a lot of good bones to this book, but overall I was a bit underwhelmed. It reminded me a lot of Treasure Planet and Star Wars is a good way. We definitely beat the “second coming of the prophecy” too much with the consistent reminders and journal entries, and everything was oddly fast-paced while also leaving me consistently confused on the world and overall plot, even though it is super creative. The political allegories were too on-the-nose and the characters and relationships felt under developed and flat to me. I loved the storyline of the sisters and the order, but I think this book bites off more than it can chew with the history and prophecies and different timelines and characters and at times overly flowery writing. I don’t think I’ll continue the series but I did have fun at times! I only read this because it was the first Illumicrate book I ever received but I wish the author the best because I loved the diversity and voice she brought to the book.
For a debut this was pretty impressive and I think there are a lot of good bones to this book, but overall I was a bit underwhelmed. It reminded me a lot of Treasure Planet and Star Wars is a good way. We definitely beat the “second coming of the prophecy” too much with the consistent reminders and journal entries, and everything was oddly fast-paced while also leaving me consistently confused on the world and overall plot, even though it is super creative. The political allegories were too on-the-nose and the characters and relationships felt under developed and flat to me. I loved the storyline of the sisters and the order, but I think this book bites off more than it can chew with the history and prophecies and different timelines and characters and at times overly flowery writing. I don’t think I’ll continue the series but I did have fun at times! I only read this because it was the first Illumicrate book I ever received but I wish the author the best because I loved the diversity and voice she brought to the book.
January 29, 2024
I wanted to love this so badly! Black heroes in space?! SIGN ME UP! Unfortunately, the character arcs, the relationships, the 5+ plotlines, they all fell flat. Either this book was over complicated, or I’m illiterate (which is very possible). I felt like I was reading every idea this author has ever thought of and threw them all into one story. I honestly did not enjoy anything about this story other than the characters were Black, and they were in space. Black and BIPOC people are rarely represented as the hero, or in space, and I will continue to recommend this book because it is a game changer for the scifi genre. This will 100% be on people’s favorites of 2024, however I personally will not be one of those people.
December 29, 2025
3.5⭐️
“𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧.
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✨ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦
✨ 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭
✨ 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴
✨ 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦
✨ 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭
✨ 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦
✨ 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦
There was a lot going on in this book. We travel between 1800s London and intergalactic 6066 as three prophesied heroes embark on a quest to save the universe. An illicit gay interracial romance within the British monarchy. Time travel. Stolen artifacts. Enslaved populations. Prison breaks. Rescue missions. Space opera.
You will like this if you love sci-fi with queer rep. There are some epic Star Wars-like flight scenes that I devoured, and I drew parallels to Luke, Leia, Hans Solo, and Lando. Also Bridgerton and Dr Who vibes.
Here are my gripes: the plot is a tad light on how the time travel works & how artefacts are utilized — a bit confusing. Pacing is a little uneven. I’d have liked to see more trust developed between the heroes. It felt too insta-loyal for people who just met. The finished copy still contains a lot of typos.
However, for a debut work, I was impressed. I will be reading the next in the series when it comes out and I think this author has a lot of talent — she wrote this at age 16! 🤯😱 I had been craving a sci-fi book and this hit the spot.
“𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧.
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✨ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦
✨ 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭
✨ 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴
✨ 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦
✨ 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭
✨ 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦
✨ 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦
There was a lot going on in this book. We travel between 1800s London and intergalactic 6066 as three prophesied heroes embark on a quest to save the universe. An illicit gay interracial romance within the British monarchy. Time travel. Stolen artifacts. Enslaved populations. Prison breaks. Rescue missions. Space opera.
You will like this if you love sci-fi with queer rep. There are some epic Star Wars-like flight scenes that I devoured, and I drew parallels to Luke, Leia, Hans Solo, and Lando. Also Bridgerton and Dr Who vibes.
Here are my gripes: the plot is a tad light on how the time travel works & how artefacts are utilized — a bit confusing. Pacing is a little uneven. I’d have liked to see more trust developed between the heroes. It felt too insta-loyal for people who just met. The finished copy still contains a lot of typos.
However, for a debut work, I was impressed. I will be reading the next in the series when it comes out and I think this author has a lot of talent — she wrote this at age 16! 🤯😱 I had been craving a sci-fi book and this hit the spot.
November 25, 2023
I've had a lot going on, so I've been working my way through ARCs and had to come back to review them later, as reading time seems to be easier to find than time to sit down and get my thoughts together. It's now a couple of weeks since I finished The Principle of Moments and, to be perfectly honest, I can barely remember any of it bar the broadest of strokes. Not a good sign.
There's something more than a little weird too about the love interest of one of our main characters being a literal prince (in this case, a Hanoverian, since part of our book involves said main character being in 1812 and apparently living in a palace with zero security given his main character boyfriend's ease of access). I mean, it's not as if there'd been multiple assassination attempts on various members of the British royal family in the 19th century... oh, wait...
Anyway, basic premise is that we're talking time travel here. One of our main characters is working as indentured labour in a factory on an alien planet while trying to figure out a way to escape. Midway through her escape plan, she bumps into our other main character, who is a time traveller. There's also a very convoluted prophecy where they (and maybe the prince, I don't really know?) are mythical heroes - this gives the author the excuse to stick pseudo-historic quotes in at the start of each chapter, that's for certain.
All in all, not the worst thing I've ever read but I do feel like it was mislabelled as being adult SF. I wasn't even slightly surprised to read the author's afterword that gushed about it being written in her A level computer science classes, as the main characters feel young and there's something a little two-dimensional about aspects of the world-building. Not a series I plan to continue and I really dislike seeing people compare it with something as brilliant as the Broken Earth trilogy.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.
There's something more than a little weird too about the love interest of one of our main characters being a literal prince (in this case, a Hanoverian, since part of our book involves said main character being in 1812 and apparently living in a palace with zero security given his main character boyfriend's ease of access). I mean, it's not as if there'd been multiple assassination attempts on various members of the British royal family in the 19th century... oh, wait...
Anyway, basic premise is that we're talking time travel here. One of our main characters is working as indentured labour in a factory on an alien planet while trying to figure out a way to escape. Midway through her escape plan, she bumps into our other main character, who is a time traveller. There's also a very convoluted prophecy where they (and maybe the prince, I don't really know?) are mythical heroes - this gives the author the excuse to stick pseudo-historic quotes in at the start of each chapter, that's for certain.
All in all, not the worst thing I've ever read but I do feel like it was mislabelled as being adult SF. I wasn't even slightly surprised to read the author's afterword that gushed about it being written in her A level computer science classes, as the main characters feel young and there's something a little two-dimensional about aspects of the world-building. Not a series I plan to continue and I really dislike seeing people compare it with something as brilliant as the Broken Earth trilogy.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.
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